- The Madras High Court barred discrimination in the Madurai Kumbabishekam festival
- A committee with representatives from each community must conduct the festival
- The case involved disputes over temple management in Melapanankadi village
The Madras High Court has barred any discrimination in an upcoming religious event in Tamil Nadu's Madurai. The upcoming Kumbabishekam festival at a cluster of temples in Melapanankadi village should be conducted by a committee comprising a representative from each community, the Madurai Bench has directed, barring any "first honour" for any individual or group.
The case pertained to the Arulmighu Ayyanar Temple, Arulmighu Muniyandi Swamy Temple, Arulmighu Karupasamy Temple and Arulmighu Muthumariamman Temple, where tensions had arisen among different communities over the management and conduct of the consecration festival scheduled for February 8.
According to court records, the petitioner Rathinam had approached the High Court, seeking a Writ of Mandamus, directing officials - including the Tahsildar and police - to form a committee comprising members from the Mutharayar, Maravar and Adi Dravidar (Dalit) communities to oversee the festival.
The plea was filed in the backdrop of competing claims from individuals in the village over organising rights and concerns about representation among the multiple communities residing there.
During the hearing, the court was informed that in a related earlier petition, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department had already appointed a "fit person" to oversee temple administration. The dispute before the court centred on whether a single individual - the fifth respondent Rajeshkannan, who had claimed the right to conduct the Kumbabishekam - could organise the event or whether a broader mechanism was required to ensure inclusive participation.
Justice S Srimathy observed that the festival could not be conducted by any individual alone, especially in a village with multiple communities. Instead, the judge directed the appointed fit person to constitute a committee with one representative from each community to jointly organise the consecration ceremony.
The court further ordered that there should be no "first honour" granted to any person or community during the festival and emphasised that there must be no discrimination in the conduct of religious events. Rajeshkannan was also directed to hand over all relevant records to the fit person and the newly formed committee.
With these directions, the High Court disposed of the writ petition, effectively declining the plea for exclusive organisational control while mandating a collective and non-discriminatory approach to the temple festivities.
